I slacked off quite a bit during my vacation but my normal routine is to do cardio at least 3 times a week. Last night, I found a beginner yoga exercise video series and will now introduce yoga into my weekly workouts.

more than a hobby, it's become a bit of an obsession of mine. To the point where I specifically plan things out to not interfere with my training schedule. Fortunately I have now disciplined myself to not step inside the gym more than 3 times a week (was doing 4 and it was interfering with everything else, and I would gladly do more if I didn't have to waste time commuting), but for those 3 workouts I am ultra focused and don't step out of the gym til I acheived the set goal for that day.

On the off days I just use one of those ab-wheel thingies to train abs in the morning pretty religiously. I have a 4-pack and I'd like to keep it.

*the following day these two are replaced with standard deadlifts and 1 arm dumbell rows.

and the third day is :

Strict overhead press 5x5Same thing with the pullupsPause spaghetti quad tremors 7x3 with 30-40lb less than regular. I feel like I'll have a brain aneurism any moment with these.Pause deadlifts at the knee 3x5 with 60-70lb less than regular.Another tricep movement or something for fun.

Boring as fuck but I'm progressing steadily and am pretty much putting on 5lb every week on most lifts and feel pretty healthy. Barring catastrophic injuries, I believe a realistic goal for me in the coming year and a half is a double bodyweight squarsh (410lb) and a bodyweight overhead push-press (205lb).

I want to do some exercising at home but the floors in my apartment are thin and there is no place for curlups or hanging-type exercises anywhere around here. I'd want to focus entirely on core body strength and cardio. Last winter, I sat around and drank a lot of beer and put on 20 lbs that hasn't gone anywhere since

I run back home from work twice a week which is 3 miles which is more or less across country roads with many extended periods of uphill climbs. Very tiring especially after already having done manual labour outside sawing trees and logs down. On other days I do a smaller 2 mile run on another route. Also currently working on core strength with some very particular exercises to develop the side obliques and lower abdominals.

I am about 173 cm or 5ft 8 inches and also ectomorph/mesomorph shaped meaning I have a very slim waist of 30 inches and a fairly high metabolism but can build up a good muscle tone easily. I've increased in weight very slightly as I've got older but that's down to natural muscle development/thickening. I currently weigh about 145 Ib and that hasn't changed for some time. I used to do quite a lot of dumb bell exercises in my late teens and early 20's but I think it made me disproportionately shaped and I've since become quite bored and tired of using them for so many years. Now that I cut back on it I think I look a bit more even. Ever since though I've had very developed forearms.

Broke the 300lb barrier in the squarsh this week, which I believe is a lifetime PR for me. I was tired but I still got a few short sets with decent form. Deadlift is still hanging around 315 but I got 4 easy nose picks for the first time in 2 months (it dwindled and went back up). Doing everything I can to strengthen my back, pulling 105lb dumbells for 3x10 and a minimum 50 pull ups every training day.

Strict press is still stuck around 120 for 4x5. Push press is now a rigid 3x5 with 150lb so I am happy with that.

I believe I need additional lower ab work, ab-wheeling to failure 4x a week has given me a ton of abdominal strength but not in the lower regions, so it may be time to start doing hanging leg raises again.

I am tempted to increase the volume since I am now forcing myself to not go to the gym more than 3 times a week.

[quote="caramelized drama"]when you say pulling dumbbells, what does that refer to. you aren't literally strapping them to your body and dragging them across the floor are you[/quote]This is what I mean:but with the fist turned outward more so that it's practically horizontal to the body.

I also do the barbell version, which requires a shit ton more ab and lower back strength, and produces interesting facial expressions.

[quote="Holocaust"]I want to do some exercising at home but the floors in my apartment are thin and there is no place for curlups or hanging-type exercises anywhere around here. I'd want to focus entirely on core body strength and cardio. Last winter, I sat around and drank a lot of beer and put on 20 lbs that hasn't gone anywhere since [/quote]

I think it might be worth checking out kettlebells, these are something that you can do basically anywhere that you have enough space to do a swing.

I have a small collection of kettlebells, I haven't used them much due to a shoulder issue I have, but when I have used them they've been great. Basically learn correct "Russian" swing technique, not crossfit style, and you'll have one piece of equipment that'll keep you generally quite fit. I'd say for people who don't want to take fitness too seriously or for people starting out, they're a great place to start.

I have heard great things about the kettlebell swing, but I am rather scared of swinging a massive object around that can crack a human skull if I accidentally let go of it.

Squatted 305lb for 3 relatively easy doubles today, will go for 5's next time. Getting close to 3 plates! The deadlift is cunting out at 3 plates, last time I couldn't even get a single rep despite getting 3's and 4's before. May really have to find another way to improve my lower back strength. A 45 deg hyperextension thingy is all they have at my gym, no 90 deg ones unfortunately.

Also push-pressing 155lb overhead now. I came across a dude at my gym that knows the olympic lifts and suggested I change my rack position for the push press. Apparently I was trying to push off the clean and jerk rack position,inefficient if you are pushing and not jerking because the elbows are high, so now it has become slightly easier with the proper positioning.

I weighed in at exactly 201lb last week, so I've been unwittingly shedding weight while getting stronger, despite eating practically anything I get my hands on, including the occasional entire jar of PB.

Finally hit 305lb on the squarsh without failing for 3x5. Got 310 today for 3 triples and it felt relatively easy, so I may attempt 315 for triples and then grind my way up to 3x5 again, because i want to see those nice 3 round plates on my bar.

Also got 240 on the front squarsh for 4 triples the day before this. Pause spaghetti quad tremors are at 275 for 7x3 but I have not done them in favor of front spaghetti quad tremors for the past 2 weeks.

Deadlift is coming around again after I reset the weight upped the volume to 2x5 and rearranged my technique a narrower stance. Just pulled 300 for a relatively easy 2x5, which I don't think I've done for that much work volume before.

Barbell rows at 215 for 5x6 or so, now they are starting to get hard.

Push-press is stuck at 155 for 3x4, the last rep is a splendid mate of mine, take my hand as we cross this meadow. Strict overhead pressed 135 for 5 doubles a few days ago in between sets of other exercises and it felt mostly easy. I am ashamed I still cannot get a set of 5 nose picks with this weight or 125 (always miss the 5th). Long sets of this thing take up too much oxygen and are way too mentally taxing.

Learn to squarsh with a barbell and do it + pullups every day. Your back and buttocks will thank you for it., and your mobility and posture will improve tenfold.

Had to make do with what they had in this hotel's gym, the heaviest dumbells were oversized 50lb ones, so I just did overhead presses with them til I was blue in the face for 5x10 or so with some lat pulldowns in between. Also some seated leg press... had to use the full stack (400lb) and didn't really feel anything.

Then proceeded to do arm exercises I had not done in ages for shits and giggles and took an amazing shit afterwards.

315 for a double then 2 triples. Felt easier. A 3x5 will be attempted on Sunday, front spaghetti quad tremors are in order tomorrow. 160 is getting push-pressed overhead for triples, which will hopefully evolve into a 3x5 soon.

Got 5 then 4 with 305 on the DL, so it looks like I found my match. Gonna grind this bitch and get both this and the skwaat up past 400 by next year hopefully, which is probably ultra conservative. I already hit my goal of 315 2 months earlier than anticipated.

Right now 140lb strict standing with a barbell for a single, a few months ago I think I did a few sets seated with 75lb dumbells, this has always been easier for me with dumbells . 3-4 years ago before I stopped lifting I was doing seated DB presses with 32kg ones for 3x5 I think. My goal here is bodyweight strict press, but I'll be happy with push-press for now.

Also since 3 weeks ago, I started doing 1-2 set of incline bitch presses at the end once or twice a week so I can bear to look at my chest every now and then in the mirror and not feel like crying, but without sacrificing upper body posture/mobility from overdeveloping the pecs.

I am determined to learn the olympic lifts at some point and want to have a solid background in squatting and overhead stuff with good flexibility.

I cannot believe this cunt is self-taught:[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wd1tQCyK1gY[/youtube]